---
title: "Community Connector Roles within the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) Teams in East Berkshire - Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care Board (ICB)"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT"
published: "2022-12-21"
---

# Community Connector Roles within the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) Teams in East Berkshire - Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Buyer: NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161.json)

## Summary

The NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit sought to commission Community Connector roles within the Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS) Teams in East Berkshire for the Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care Board (ICB). This tender involved an Invitation to Tender process based on the Open procedure to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. The project reference number for this opportunity is C87115, with a contract value of £825,754. The contract is due to commence on 1st January 2023, providing opportunities for businesses in the healthcare services sector to engage and potentially secure this contract.

The Community Connector roles within the MHICS Teams offer opportunities for businesses in the healthcare services sector to contribute to the Community Mental Health (CMH) transformation programme. The contract is for an initial term of 2 years, with a potential extension of up to 24 months. The procurement process involves a tender period ending on 31st December 2022 and a contract period starting on 1st January 2023. Interested parties must be registered on the e-procurement system and submit their responses by 8th August 2022. Businesses specialising in mental health services, community support, and psychoeducation are well-suited to compete for this contract to support individuals with significant mental health needs in East Berkshire.

## Notice

Frimley Health and Care ICB (the Commissioner) sought to commission Community Connector roles within the MHICS Teams across East Berkshire. Adverts were placed on Contracts Finder and the Find a Tender Service and an Invitation to Tender (ITT) process, based on the Open procedure, was undertaken during summer / autumn 2022 to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender and therefore determine the incoming provider. In 2019, the ICB was successfully awarded funding to be one of 12 national early implementer sites to deliver Community Mental Health (CMH) transformation. This has enabled the design and implementation of integrated primary and community mental health care for adults and older adults with Significant Mental Illness (SMI), built around Primary Care Networks (PCNs), so that more patients with SMI are effectively supported in primary care. As part of the ICS-wide CMH transformation programme, there will be a total of 9 MHICS Teams, covering the 10 PCNs across East Berkshire. MHICS offers a service to patients in primary care with significant mental health difficulties who have not met the criteria for, or whose needs are not met by existing primary and secondary care mental health services. Flow into the MHICS service is mainly from primary care, but also for patients stepping down from secondary care and will continue to evolve as part of the One Team approach as the programme continues to transform the way people with mental health needs are supported in their communities. The Community Connectors will form part of the core MHICS team (minimum 1 WTE Community Connector per team), and their role will include: * Help identify psychoeducational, emotional, socio-economic needs that impact on mental wellbeing through direct 1:1 work with MHICS clients, and use this understanding to support engagement and access to appropriate local and community resources * Actively link, develop and bridge out to the infrastructure of VCSE support services across East Berkshire to offer: - Earlier intervention - Longer appointment time - Practical support and help - Guided self-help resources - Follow ups and ongoing support - Onward bridging where needed - Links with community resources - Particular links into Wellbeing Services and Carer Support * In line with a client's goals and needs, brief psychoeducation/psychosocial approaches may be employed, which, when within their competency, may be delivered by Community Connectors and/or jointly with the Mental Health Practitioners. Additional information: The Contract will be for an initial term of 2 years, with an option to extend for any period up to a further 24 months. The Contract is due to commence 1st January 2023. The Contract has been awarded to Buckinghamshire Association for Mental Health (t/a Buckinghamshire MIND). The contract value for the initial 2 year contract term is PS825,754. There is potential for 2 additional Community Connector roles being required to cover a new Community Rehabilitation Enhanced Service Team (CREST) being established by Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2022/2023. If the additional roles are required, the contract may be varied to include this additional provision at an estimated financial value of PS92,700 per annum. This procurement has been carried out by NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit (SCW) on behalf of the Commissioners. The project reference number for this opportunity is C87115, (previously WA12808). The services are healthcare services falling within Schedule 3 to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations") which are not subject to the full regime of the Regulations, but is instead governed by the "Light Touch Regime" contained within Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Regulations (Regulations 74 to 77).

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e7ca26bc-a323-47cb-b108-49a7d87d9fd5 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Dec 2022 |
| Submission deadline | 31 Dec 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Dec 2022 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2023 - 31 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £846,815 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £825,754 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | NHS SOUTH, CENTRAL AND WEST COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT |
| Locality | ALDERSHOT |
| Post town | Guildford |
| Postcode | GU11 1AY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ37 North Hampshire |
| Local authority | Rushmoor |
| Electoral ward | Wellington |
| Westminster constituency | Aldershot |
| Delivery location | TLJ South East (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH (TRADING AS BUCKIN |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 85 - Health and social work services

### Codes

- 85100000 - Health services

## Release History

- 21 Dec 2022 at 15:34 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e7ca26bc-a323-47cb-b108-49a7d87d9fd5
- 5 Jul 2022 at 15:01 - TenderAmendment - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f867b498-7e35-4968-8272-343ef0b21f88
- 5 Jul 2022 at 14:33 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f867b498-7e35-4968-8272-343ef0b21f88

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e7ca26bc-a323-47cb-b108-49a7d87d9fd5
  21st December 2022 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f867b498-7e35-4968-8272-343ef0b21f88
  5th July 2022 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder
- https://health-family.force.com/s/Welcome
  Atamis e-procurement system

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-c438ed2b-7dde-41f7-b292-584cd0bba161.json.